Five quick science-backed tips to help you feel happier

1. Write down your happy thoughts

In a recent study conducted in the UK, participants who wrote about some of the most wonderful experiences of their lives for twenty minutes a day reported lower levels of stress for four weeks after completing only three days of journaling.

But it doesn’t have to take you twenty minutes. Even something as simple as writing down three good things that have happened to you that day has been shown to have a significant impact on happiness.

3. Take fifteen minutes out to do nothing

In a 2017 study, researchers from Rochester University found that solitude can help with both relaxation and stress reduction. The researchers defined solitude as “being alone for a period of time with no access to devices, personal interactions, external stimuli, or activities.” In four separate studies, the period of solitude lasted for fifteen minutes and the participants were asked to sit alone and try to think either positive or neutral thoughts instead of doing anything specific.